Dave Roberts Discusses Dodgers’ World Series or Bust Expectations
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is well aware of the narrative and expectations surrounding the team after they loaded up on talent this offseason. The Dodgers are now expected to win the World Series to have their season be considered a success, even more so than before.
However, Roberts’ priority is keeping his team more focused on the present, rather than what lies ahead toward the end of the season.
“I’m going to be out there in about a week (in spring training with) pitchers and catchers. You’ve got to come in fresh,” Roberts said on The Podcast with Joe Posnanski and Michael Shur. “I think I’ve done a good job of getting our guys to buy into the micro of the moment, because certainly this year you get (Shohei) Ohtani, we trade for (Tyler) Glasnow, we get (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto — we gave him over $300 million — it’s going to be ‘World Series or bust.’ I’m going to hear it all spring. I’ve already heard it. That hasn’t changed for me.”
Roberts knows there’s no point of looking ahead.
“You’re not going to win the World Series in February, April, March,” Roberts said. “So you have to get the micro. I want to get guys to come in fresh, come in motivated, play the game the right way.”
This preparation starts next week, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training. The rest of the squad will report six days later, and spring training games begin in three weeks.
This will be the ninth season for Roberts as the Dodgers’ manager, and the expectations will be at their highest to bring in another World Series. Regardless of how the Dodgers handle this pressure internally, it’s almost impossible to see anything other than a World Series win a success for the Dodgers.
Photo Credit: Kyle Schwab-USA TODAY Sports
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Dear god: “You’re not going to win the World Series in February, April, March,” Roberts said.
Uh, note to Dave, you don’t win it in May – September either. FFS, everyone else has the memo on this (note #6 seeds from NL each of last 2 seasons with expanded playoff format). Alternating #1s and #2s last two years, ATL and LA, both out in the NLDS each year. Stop the nonsense and realize you don’t blow your load in August or September, win the division by 22 and 18 games the last 2 years, only to get humiliated in the playoffs. He’s lost 6 playoff games in a row. “World Series” ought not to be uttered by a single person in the organization. STFU and play baseball when it counts. So sick of underperforming in October.
You seem to forget that the last few years out pitching going into the playoffs was all in wheel chairs. Last year Kershaw was the only pitcher in the rotation that was there in April, the rest were a bunch of rookies and an old fat has-been. Over the last 6 years the Ds have the highest winning percentage of any team in the history of baseball since the turn of the 20th century, the only team ever to win 100+ games 5 full years in a row – with the covid year on par to a 116 win season.
I like watching winning baseball, and the Ds have won more than any team. We have this cultural phenomenon in America that the final championship is all that matters, if you’re not first you’re last. I think that is bullshit. The postseason is a whole new season, and all the pieces have to fall into place to win it all. I still give the Ds substantial credit for winning all those 162 game seasons.